International law firm Lovells has re-elected its senior management team of Andrew Walker, senior partner, and Lesley MacDonagh, managing partner, for a further term. Andrew will now serve until 30 April 2004 and Lesley until 30 April 2006.

Andrew Walker has been senior partner of Lovells since 1 May 1996 and Lesley MacDonagh managing partner since 1 May 1995. During their joint term of office – a period of intense competition in the market for legal services - the firm has grown dramatically as a result of a combination of merger, organic growth and lateral hire. Its reputation as one of the world's leading international law firms has continued to grow.

Speaking today, Andrew Walker, senior partner, said:

"My time as senior partner has already been one of great change, especially the last two years, which have seen us announce mergers in Germany, the Netherlands and France, as well as record numbers of internal elections and lateral hires to the partnership. All this has been in line with our strategy of development as one of the small group of genuinely international business law firms.

I welcome this opportunity to continue with Lesley as managing partner, to seek to complete some of the tasks still on our 'to do' list. We have worked very well as a team and are delighted to have the support of our partners for a further term."

Lesley MacDonagh, managing partner, commented:

"Managing talented people is always a fascinating and challenging role – all the more so in a period of global development and market consolidation. Managing change has become a continuing theme for Andrew and me – not least of all because Lovells has doubled in size since we took office. Fortunately, the whole international partnership embraces very positively the ambitions the firm has set itself."

Ends…

Notes to editors

Lovells

Lovells is currently the fourth largest law firm in Europe and the eighth largest in the world.

The firm came into being on 1January 2000, as a result of the merger of Lovell White Durrant and Boesebeck Droste. It has since completed a merger with Ekelmans Den Hollander in Holland, and announced a further merger, with Siméon & Associés in France.

Lovells currently has nearly 300 partners and numbers 2,800 people worldwide – roughly double the size of the partnership and also of the firm in total compared to the size of Lovell White Durrant in the mid 1990s (140 partners and 1,400 people).

Lovells has offices in 26 locations in Europe, Asia and North America: these include offices in Germany (5), Hungary (1), Italy (2), and the Netherlands (1), added since 1 January 2000; Lovell White Durrant had 10 offices in the mid 1990s.

The election

A partnership vote was held on 15 September 2001.

There were two other nominations for the post of senior partner: Hugh Nineham, joint head of Lovells' corporate practice; and Simon Polito, joint head of Lovells' EU & competition law practice.

The election for the post of managing partner was uncontested.

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